NATIONWIDE DIOXIN CAMPAIGN

New evidence of dioxin's ability to cause cancer in humans has
come to light [1] just as environmental justice activists across
the U.S. are planning a major campaign to attack dioxin at its
sources. The campaign is holding a 3-day strategy session in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, March 15-17. (All citizen activists are
welcome; to register, phone Jim Warren in North Carolina: (919)
774-9566; THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MARCH 5.) The dioxin
campaign puts the grass-roots environmental community squarely
"in the face" of the biggest polluters in the nation, and it
creates a "line in the sand"--a challenge to the old conservative
wing of the environmental community, which to some extent has
made its peace with the dioxin polluters. [2]

"We know that we are up against huge corporate power, but
tackling the misuse of corporate power is what the 21st century
is going to be about," says Ellen Connett, one of the leaders of
the new grass-roots campaign, and editor of the indispensable
weekly, WASTE NOT [phone: (315) 379-9200].

The well-know grass-roots leader, Lois Gibbs of the Citizens
Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste [phone (703) 237-2249], has
just published an excellent book on dioxin [3]--the best we've
ever seen on the subject --which describes the dioxin problem in
the first half, and then lays out various campaign techniques
that citizens could use to end the poisoning. Gibbs's books is
technically sound, yet easily understandable by non-experts. It
describes dioxin, where it comes from, and how it poisons people
and wildlife. It tells the whole complicated dioxin story, yet
is very readable. Furthermore, it is the best "organizing manual"
for citizens we have ever seen. Gibbs's book seems likely to
become the "bible" for dioxin campaigners.

Gibbs sees the dioxin problem as a failure of self-government, a
failure of people to control corporations: "We can't shut down
the sources of dioxin without finding the courage to change the
way government works," she says. "We have to explore how people
became powerless as the corporations became powerful. We have to
figure out how to speak honestly and act collectively to rebuild
our democracy."

The rebuilding of democracy is what separates the grass-roots
environmental movement from the old conservative "enviros." The
old-style enviros don't see democracy as an important
issue--perhaps because to do so implies a direct challenge to
corporate influence over our media, our elections, our courts,
our schools, and our legislatures. For example, the
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has refused to endorse campaign
finance reform to get the corrupting influence of private money
out of our elections. The grass-roots movement, on the other
hand, believes democracy is THE fundamental environmental issue.
"Without democracy there can be no justice, and without justice
there is no way to protect human health or the environment," says
Connie Tucker, of the Southern Organizing Committee in Atlanta
[(404) 755-2855], another important participant among many in the
Baton Rouge conference.

New Evidence of Dioxin's Toxicity to Humans

A new study published in December found a dose-dependent increase
in risk of cancer and heart disease among a group of 1189 workers
at a pesticide manufacturing plant in Hamburg, Germany who were
exposed to dioxins during the period 1952 to 1984.4 The study
group included every worker employed for three months or longer
at the plant from 1952 until it shut down in 1984. The workers
were followed through the end of 1992.

Exposure to dioxins was evaluated to see if dioxins were related
to particular causes of death. Deaths among the pesticide
workers were compared to deaths among a control group consisting
of 2528 non-dioxin-exposed workers at a gas supply company
located in the same region of Germany.

The pesticide workers had produced phenoxy herbicides [examples:
2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, and silvex], chlorophenols, and other herbicides
and insecticides known to be contaminated with dioxins and
furans. [Dioxins and furans are a family of 210 unwanted
byproducts (75 dioxins, and 135 furans) from certain chemical
reactions in the production of phenoxy herbicides. Dioxins may
be produced by other chemical reactions as well, including metal
smelting, and the incineration of solid and medical wastes.
TCDD, or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin, is the most toxic
of the dioxin family.]

The study found, among dioxin-exposed workers, an increase in all
deaths, an increase in cancer deaths, and an increase in deaths
due to ischemic heart disease, compared to same-aged individuals
in the control group. [Ischemic heart disease refers to a
narrowing of the arteries with consequent reduction of blood
flow. If blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced, a heart
attack can result.] The disease-related deaths increased with
the dose of dioxin to which the workers were exposed: greater
dioxin exposure was related to higher death rates.

The study found that pesticide workers with the highest dioxin
exposures faced more than three times the risk of dying from
cancer, and 2.5 times the risk of dying from ischemic heart
disease, compared to workers of similar ages from a nearby gas
plant.

The study examined the mortality [death] experience of workers
during the 40-year period from 1952 to 1992.

The study grouped the 1189 workers according to their degree of
dioxin exposure. Dioxin exposure was calculated by measuring
dioxin in the blood of 190 workers, or 16% of the exposed group.
As the authors themselves say, "The major strength of the present
study is the availability of a quantitative measure of exposure,
which allows a direct estimate of dose-response relations."

The study evaluated several factors that could have biased the
results. For example, they ruled out possible bias due to smoking
because the group of pesticide workers and the control group both
contained about the same proportion of smokers.

They evaluated and discussed possible effects due to exposures to
chemicals besides dioxins. They could not rule out possible bias
from exposure of the pesticide workers to cancer-causing
chemicals besides dioxins.

The authors conclude that the results of this study "support the
hypothesis of a dose-related effect of PCDD/F [dioxins and
furans] on cancer and ischemic heart disease mortality."

The finding of elevated cancer deaths among dioxin-exposed
workers is not a new finding. Three previous studies[4,5,6] have
reported cancer increases among dioxin-exposed workers.

However, this new study is particularly interesting because it is
based on actual measurements of dioxin levels in the blood of a
sample of workers. Previous studies have estimated dioxin
exposures instead of measuring them. The measurement of dioxin
exposures allowed this study to look for a dose-response
relationship, and such a relationship was found. Most people are
familiar with the concept of dose-response; think of the effects
from drinking one, two, or three glasses of wine. In general,
greater dose leads to greater response. Finding greater numbers
of cancers associated with larger doses of dioxin provides strong
evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship between dioxin
exposure and cancer in humans.

The finding of increased heart disease among dioxin-exposed
workers is somewhat more surprising. Previous studies of this
effect have been inconclusive; some studies of dioxin-exposed
populations have reported increased heart disease, and other
studies have reported no such increases. However, these previous
studies have not been able to establish a dose-response
relationship, as the present study has done.

In the present study, the dose-response relationship was clear.
Because dioxin exposures were measured, and not merely estimated,
in this study, these results should be given more weight than
previous studies.

In studies of people exposed to dioxin after a chemical accident
at a Hoffman-LaRoche pesticide factory in Seveso, Italy in 1976,
it was noted that excessive numbers of people died of heart
attacks. The authors of the Seveso study attributed these deaths
to "stress from the accident." Now there is reason to ask
whether these Seveso deaths were possibly caused, not by stress,
but by exposure to dioxins released during the accident.

In sum, this is an important study that makes a unique
contribution to our understanding of the relationship of dioxins
to human health.

The strategy conference in Baton Rouge will focus on 9 distinct
targets and strategies for getting dioxin out of the environment:

(1) the paper and pulp industry;
(2) getting organochlorines out of manufacturing and cleaning;
(3) stopping all forms of incineration;
(4) phasing out all uses of PVC (polyvinyl chloride);
(5) creating scientific swat teams to help communities;
(6) linking dioxin to health;
(7) getting dioxin out of our food;
(8) developing tools to help poisoned communities; and
(9) communicating dioxin issues to the public and the media.